


Bumps On The Road

by Leni



Series: All About Lacey [5]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, background Golden Lace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-02-05
Packaged: 2019-03-14 08:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13585773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leni/pseuds/Leni
Summary: Where Neal and his father have a chat on wicked stepmothers.





	Bumps On The Road

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThatVermilionFlyCatcher](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatVermilionFlyCatcher/gifts).



> @thatvermilionflycatcher asked Papafire + concoction.

Nothing had impressed on Neal the fact that Lacey was a permanent fixture in his father’s life quite like the second bookshelf and worktable that now stood in his father’s laboratory.

That it was now a spacious room with wide, open windows that looked over the backyard - a noticeable difference from the cramped basement where his father had practiced magic after the curse broke - was also an indicator that Lacey’s influence was even stronger than it had been the first time she lived in his father’s home.

“Lacey and magic, huh?”

His father smiled as he glanced over the contents of the table. Neal saw only a line of labeled jars and half-finished concoctions in all manners of glassware, interspersed with a few books bulging with improvised bookmarks, but his father’s proud look told that whatever work was in progress, it was impressive indeed. “Potions and amulets, for the most part. What she lacks in power, she makes up in research.” His eyes gleamed with happiness. “That girl can do wonders with the right collection of books.”

Neal had heard that the town library had been briefly under the care of his father’s girlfriend, but he’d assumed her love for reading had been one of the casualties after Regina’s curse. Lacey just didn’t look the type to curl up with a book. “I didn’t know you’d picked a new student,” he said, trying to cover his surprise with curiosity.

“I haven’t.” His father gave a low chuckle. “Lace doesn’t follow instruction very well, and frankly she jumps from one subject to the next so swiftly that she does better without having to explain her thought process every couple of days.”

Neal couldn’t help the disbelief that crossed his features. “Ah,” he said none too intelligently. As his father’s first student, even if it had been at their old spinning wheel rather than on magical matters, he knew that his father liked to oversee every step until he was confident that the lesson had been learned. He was a patient teacher, but not one who applauded distractions. His arrangement with Lacey sounded too lax. “Is that safe?”

“Barring a fire or two, yes.” His father smiled, thankfully disregarding the snide tone that’d slipped despite Neal telling himself that he wasn’t jealous over the preferential treatment. “Flammable objects have ever been her Achilles heel.”

“Hm.” Neal picked one of the beakers on Lacey’s side and brought it up for an experimental sniff. His father didn’t stop him, though he fidgeted a little, so Neal trusted the contents were harmless. The potion was a clear blue that smelled minty, and when inspected against the light, Neal discovered an iridescent glow at the very center. “What is it?”

His father smacked his lips soundlessly, head wobbling from side to side in a nervous gesture that had followed him across the centuries. “Lacey follows, ah, her own line of interests,” he answered at last, color climbing on his cheeks.

Embarrassment over a matter that involved Lacey was a warning sign Neal was glad to heed. He had listened to Emma and her parents complain about enough unfortunate encounters to know that his father’s usual response to being caught in compromising positions was a roll of his eyes and a reminder to use the phone if his input was needed that badly.

Rumpelstiltskin and his girlfriend, was the word in town, were quite the shameless pair.

Considering that his father had been forthcoming about everything else, even when it involved the cache of curses and counter-curses he kept in the basement, Neal decided not to press. Dinners together were growing more comfortable, and Neal didn’t want to spoil their nascent reconnection without a solid reason.

He put the beaker down, and deliberately curved his lips into an easy smile. “So now that Lacey is dealing in magic, should I ask Snow White for tips on wicked stepmothers?”

His father’s good mood disappeared at the question, and instead he gave Neal a disappointed look. “Bae…”

Neal shrugged innocently. “Okay. Technically there’s been no wedding to make it official, but-”

“ _Baelfire_.”

Parental use of one’s full name was the sternest of warnings across the realms. Neal sighed. “Fine. But you know she wouldn’t disagree.”

His father shook his head. “Because she doesn’t give a damn about your opinion,” he told Neal bluntly, “not because it’s true in any way.”

Neal felt his smile fade. “It was only a joke,” he said, sounding more defensive than he’d meant. And because he wasn’t that immature, he added, “I’m sorry.”

His father relaxed his stance. “I wish the two of you could get along,” he said wistfully.

There had been enough broken promises between him and his father, so Neal didn’t suggest that he and Lacey only needed to get to know each other. “We care about you,” he said instead. “That’s already more in common than what I had with my own mother.”

As ever, a mention about his mother made his father clench his jaw. Avoiding Neal’s gaze, his father nodded tightly and this time made no comments. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, he rallied again and motioned Neal back into the corridor. “Should we continue the tour?”

Just as willing to move on, Neal nodded. “Sure. Let’s.”

 

The End  
04/02/18

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is love!


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